Freshwater

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Part III: Water, Chemicals, and Plants
So that you have a good idea what is meant by
low, medium, bright, and very bright lighting,
here is a guide:
Low: 1 to 2 watts per gallon
Foreground Plants
Aquarium lighting levels
All aquariums look good with foreground plants, and by that we mean smaller
plants placed toward the front and middle of your aquarium. The last thing
you want to do is have your tank look like it is just lined all around the outside
with live plants. You need shorter plants in the front and center of the
tank to compliment taller ones toward the rear and add variety to the aquascaped
décor.
Cryptocoryne (Cryptocoryne wendetti)
This species is a beautiful plant that has long leaves resembling a garden
trowel. The leaves are green with red-tinted areas. This plant is great for
tanks that are cycled (see Chapter 14 for more on the nitrogen cycle). In the
wild this plant grows on riverbanks and uses rhizomes for growth, so tie it
off to driftwood or rocks with plastic gardening ties.
This plant requires a lot of nutrition. This is why placing this in an aged
(cycled) tank will keep this species happy. Placing it in a new aquarium may
cause it to die from lack of nutrition if you don’t use any type of plant food
supplement.
Don’t be concerned if this plant looks like it struggling a bit and loses leaves
when you first add it to your aquarium. That is normal in many cases. This
plant tends to grow rather slowly and is great for smaller tanks.
Level: Easy
Temperature: 70–80 degrees F
Light: Bright
pH: 6.5–7.5
Placement: Foreground to mid-range
Medium: 2 to 3 watts per gallon
Bright: 3 to 5 watts per gallon
Very bright: 5 or more watts per gallon